Turkey summons German envoy over Kurdish rally in Cologne

Reuters Staff

2 Min Read

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey summoned the German ambassador to Ankara on Saturday over what it said was a Kurdish militant rally in Cologne, the foreign ministry said, in a further sign of strained relations between the NATO allies.

According to police some 30,000 Turkish Kurds rally pro Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and against Turkish President and AKP party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Cologne, Germany September 3, 2016. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

“We condemn the organization of a rally in the German city of Cologne by the extensions of the PKK terrorist organizations, and the allowing of terror propaganda. We have voiced our reaction in a strong manner to Germany’s ambassador to Ankara, who was called to the ministry,” it said.

State-run Anadolu news agency said some 3,000 Kurdish supporters demonstrated in Cologne on Saturday carrying posters calling for the release of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States, and is banned in Germany.

Turkey has accused Germany of not doing enough to stop PKK activities.

“The double standard approach Germany has been following with regards to the global fight against terrorism is worrying. We call on Germany to show a principled stance against all kinds of terror,” the ministry said.

Relations with Europe, particularly Germany, have been strained since President Tayyip Erdogan launched a crackdown after a failed coup last year.

More than 50,000 people have been jailed pending trial and some 150,000 people, including journalists and opposition figures, have been sacked or suspended from their jobs.

Germany has criticized the mass arrests, refused to extradite people Turkey says were involved in the putsch attempt and demanded the release of around a dozen German citizens arrested in recent months.